Awakenings
by lunalovespudding3
Summary: After a patrol, Buffy and Angel get a rude awakening. Set vaguely AU Season 2. Bit of fluff, bit of angst.


**Hello all! It's been a while since I've written Bangel, and I was craving it, so here you go! Nice one-shot, set in an AU Season 2. Angel POV.**

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It had been a long night. We had encountered a nest of vampires that wasn't particularly strong, but it was huge. There must've been thirty vamps - we barely made it out. But Buffy was incredibly strong, and a damn good fighter.

She dragged herself through the window, and I followed her in.

"I'm tired, Angel..." She murmured, already half-asleep. "Sleepy."

I chuckled. "Get some sleep." Buffy collapsed on her bed, her hand firmly latched onto mine. I jerked forward. "Good night." I whispered, regaining my balance and kissing her on the forehead.

Her hand swatted my arm as I stepped towards the window to sneak out. "Don't go." I raised my eyebrows. "Just... stay, please?"

I knew it was a bad idea, but I wanted to stay. So once - just once - I gave in.

Pulling the curtains shut tight, I climbed into bed with her. She wrapped her arms around me and promptly fell asleep. Soon after, my eyelids drooped shut, obscuring my view of my love's face, utterly exhausted.

* * *

The next morning was much less pleasant.

"Buffy? Come on honey, time to wake up." It was Buffy's mother.

I woke up instantly - centuries of hunting and being hunted had obliterated any chance of sleeping deeply - and my mind began to race for somewhere to go. There was no time.

I supposed I should have expected this. Buffy was a deep sleeper and never a morning person. It made perfect sense that her mother would come wake her up.

"Buffy?" Joyce pulled back the curtains to let some sun in. I cursed silently - the blankets would be next.

I was right. She turned the blanket down, and Buffy opened her eyes slowly.

"Wha?" She asked.

Luckily, the small patch of sunlight wasn't on the bed, so I wouldn't be burned.

She might have staked me, though. Joyce shrieked, and Buffy sat up.

"Mom!"

"BUFFY!" She exclaimed. "What - who - BUFFY!"

"Mom!" She repeated. "I... uh..."

Finally, the elder Summers woman regained coherency. "Explain!"

"Mom, this... is Angel." She said quietly. "Angel is my boyfriend."

I didn't quite know what to do. In two hundred and fifty years, I had never been in a situation like this. Then again, I had never known someone like Buffy.

"What is he doing here - wait - is that the guy who was tutoring you in History?" Joyce realized.

"I should... go..." I began to stand up, then remembered it was daylight. I was stuck here. "Buffy, it's morning."

Her eyes widened. "Oh, no. This... this is not a good thing. This is very, very bad. Bad thing. Thing not good."

Joyce's expression turned from one of outrage to extremely annoyed confusion. "Yes, I think you should leave."

I shifted, leaning against the headboard and pulling one hand down my forehead. "Mrs. Summers, I... can't."

Joyce opened her mouth to give a furious remark, but Buffy stopped her.

"Mom, let me explain."

"I really hope you do." She folded her arms.

Buffy gave me a resigned look, and I sat down next to her. "I slay vampires."

Well, that was one way to start it.

"I have since I was sixteen. When the gym burned down at Hemery - that was because of vampires. I sneak out at night to hunt demons, and Willow and Xander - and Angel - help me. And Mr. Giles."

Joyce was speechless.

"Maybe you should go back to the whole 'vampires' thing." I suggested quietly.

"Oh. Right. Vampires are real." Buffy said. I slid my head in my hands. "Demons. There are thousands of different kids, and I kill them."

Finally, Joyce regained her voice, if only a little. "Why?"

Buffy groaned. "I have to. I was Chosen. When one Slayer dies, another is Called. And this time, it was me. It's not a choice."

"Why not?" She said, beginning to pace. "You can stop."

"You know what happened last time I tried to stop? People died. Sunnydale is a magnet for demons, and if I don't kill them they'll destroy the world."

Joyce seemed to bypass this. "Willow and Xander and Mr. Giles - they help you?"

"Willow and Xander help with research, and Willow's been learning a little magic. Giles is my Watcher - he trains me." She didn't even give Joyce time to react to the fact that her daughter's best friend dabbled in witchcraft. "And Angel fights with me. He's also knowledgeable about demons."

"A sixteen-year-old girl and a twenty-something man fighting demons? No. No, you won't-"

"Mrs. Summers, Slayers have superhuman strength. Buffy is more than a match for demons. And I've been doing this for years." Longer than you've been alive, I added to myself.

"And what does any of this have to do with why you can't leave, Angel?" Joyce crossed her arms.

I hesitated. But there was really no escape from having to spill this secret. "It's daylight." She raised her eyebrows, saying Go on. "I can't go out in the daylight."

The realization dawned on her face just as the horror set in. "You - you're-"

Buffy interrupted. "Yeah, Mom. Angel's a vampire. But," she hurried on, "he's not evil. Most vampires have no soul, but Angel does."

"A soul." Joyce echoed faintly. "You have a boyfriend who is a vampire. With a soul." Buffy tried to smile. "When you say you've been hunting... demons... for years, how long?"

"I was cursed with a soul by a Romani gypsy tribe about a hundred years ago. And I was turned maybe a hundred fifty years earlier." I sighed. "I'm almost three hundred years old."

"So for more than half your life - unlife - death, undeath, whatever - you were a killer?" I nodded. There was no need for her to know that I was known as the Scourge of Europe, or that the name Angelus still brought fear to many creatures.

Buffy could sense that her mother was on the verge of a major freakout, as she would say. "Mom, trust me. Angel is good. If a vampire has a soul, they feel the guilt of everyone they've killed. He won't hurt anyone." She stood up. "Please, Mom."

Joyce frowned. "I do trust you. And I trust your judgment." Buffy let out her breath. I would've done the same, if I breathed. "But I don't want to see anything like this again. I want to know when you're out..." She paused, looking for the right word.

"Patrolling." Buffy supplied.

"When you go out patrolling. You'll keep me up to date on what's happening. I will be talking to Mr. Giles, and - what's harmful to vampires?" She stared pointedly at me.

"Stake to the heart or beheading kills us. Crosses and holy water hurt. Sunlight burns, and can kill." I supplied.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. "I'll be keeping a cross around in case." I nodded. Of course. "Buffy, get ready for school. We'll leave soon. Angel, please leave the house as soon as you can. But I will want you to come for dinner soon."

Well, it could've been worse.

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**End. Any and all feedback is appreciated, as always. Wow, that was a lot of A's. **

**-Layla**


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